WAWONA, Calif. (AP) – A fast-moving brush fire near Yosemite National Park erupted Saturday into one of California’s largest wildfires of the year, prompting evacuation orders for thousands and knocking out power to more than 2,000 homes and businesses. .
The Oak Fire started Friday afternoon southwest of the park near the Mariposa County town of Midpines, and by Saturday morning had grown rapidly to 10.2 square miles (26.5 square kilometers) , according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. It erupted as firefighters advanced against an earlier fire burning at the edge of a giant sequoia forest in the southernmost part of Yosemite Park.
Evacuation orders went into effect Saturday for more than 6,000 people living in a several-mile swath in the sparsely populated rural area, said Daniel Patterson, a spokesman for the Sierra National Forest.
“The explosive behavior of the fire is challenging firefighters,” Cal Fire said in a statement Saturday morning that described the Oak Fire’s activity as “extreme with frequent runs, spot fires and cluster fires.”
By Saturday morning, the fire had destroyed 10 residential and commercial structures, damaged five more and threatened 2,000 more structures, Cal Fire said. The fire caused numerous road closures, including the closure of Highway 140 between Carstens Road and Allred Road, blocking one of the main routes into Yosemite.
More than 400 firefighters, along with helicopters, other aircraft and bulldozers, battled the blaze, which was in a sparsely populated, mostly rural area of the Sierra Nevada foothills, said Daniel Patterson, a spokesman for the Sierra National Forest.
Warm weather, low humidity and bone-dry vegetation caused by the worst drought in decades fueled the fire and challenged fire crews, Patterson said. California has seen increasingly large and deadly wildfires in recent years as climate change has made the West much warmer and drier over the past 30 years. Scientists have said the weather will continue to become more extreme and wildfires more frequent, destructive and unpredictable.
“The fire is moving fast. This fire was throwing embers in front of it up to 2 miles yesterday,” Patterson said. “These are exceptional fire conditions.” The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Pacific Gas & Electric said on its website that more than 2,600 homes and businesses in the area had lost power as of Friday afternoon and there was no indication when it would be restored. “PG&E is unable to access affected equipment,” the company said.
A shoeless elderly man trying to escape the fire Friday crashed his sedan into a ditch in a closed area and was helped by firefighters. He was safely removed from the area and did not appear to be injured. Several other residents stayed in their homes Friday night as the fire continued to burn nearby.
Meanwhile, firefighters have made significant progress against a wildfire that started in Yosemite National Park and burned through the Sierra National Forest.
The Washburn fire was 79 percent contained Friday after burning about 7.5 square miles (19.4 square kilometers) of forest. It was one of California’s largest fires of the year, along with the Lost Lake Fire in Riverside County, which was fully contained in June to 23 square kilometers.
The fire broke out on July 7 and forced the closure of Yosemite’s South Entrance and the evacuation of the community of Wawona as it burned on the edge of Mariposa Grove, home to hundreds of giant sequoias, the largest trees in the world by volume.
Wawona Road is scheduled to reopen Saturday, according to the park’s website.
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Gecker contributed from San Francisco.